As the investigation deepened, the FBI team was like a group of lone brave men groping forward in the fog, taking every step cautiously and firmly, and quickly focused their attention on the fourth victim, Jason. Jason, an ordinary bank clerk who once disappeared in the hustle and bustle of the city, lived a seemingly calm life from nine to five every day. The slightly old surveillance video of the bank, with the mottled traces of time, recorded the seemingly ordinary but mysterious spring day seven years ago: he rushed into his boss's office in a hurry, and his face, which was always filled with a gentle smile on weekdays, seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze, full of anxiety, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, crackling on the ground, splashing tiny water. His voice trembled slightly, with a bit of panic that was difficult to conceal, and his words were full of urgency, saying that he had to go back to his hometown to deal with urgent matters. The boss looked up at him and felt a little pity in his heart. He approved the leave without thinking much. How could he have expected that this separation would be forever and step into the endless dark abyss.
But when Li Yi and his team followed the fine and fragile clues like spider silk and contacted Jason's parents far away in his hometown, it was as if they had uncovered a bloody and bottomless scar with their own hands, leading to a heartbreaking news. Tears flowed freely on the old couple's faces, which were full of vicissitudes of life and wrinkles, like a flood that broke through the dam. They said with sorrow that their son had not been home for a long time. Since he left a hurried message on the phone that he wanted to go back, he seemed to have disappeared from the world and there was no news at all. At first, they tried to comfort themselves that their children were busy at work and might have delayed their trip. However, as the days passed like an hourglass, the phone was always busy and the person was nowhere to be seen. The meals at home were heated and cold, cold and hot again, but the anxiety of waiting became stronger and stronger, as if an invisible big hand was tightly grasping their hearts and lungs. As early as a few years ago, they reported the case anxiously. However, at that time, due to the limited clues and crude and rough investigative methods, the case seemed to have fallen into a bottomless, sticky and dark quagmire and could only be left unresolved. The hopes of the old couple also swayed and gradually shattered during this long wait, like a candle in the wind, leaving behind a heart full of pain and endless longing, gnawing at their souls every silent night.
Just when the investigation seemed to be deadlocked again and everyone was full of anxiety, like ants on a hot pot, a new clue quietly emerged like a dawn that penetrated the dark fog. By visiting Jason's colleagues at the bank, a colleague who had a good relationship with him and had a simple and honest look in his eyes, mentioned inadvertently after repeated and patient inquiries from everyone that Jason had a private warehouse near the dock, where some of his personal belongings seemed to be stored on weekdays. He occasionally mentioned that going to the warehouse to fiddle with those beloved "gadgets" made him feel happy. This news cheered up Li Yi and others, as if they saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness. They did not dare to delay at all and drove to the dock quickly.
The sea breeze in the dock area was howling, as if an angry beast was roaring, with a salty and humid breath, like countless cold hands pulling people's clothes wantonly, making a rustling sound. The huge containers were stacked one after another, like a maze made of steel, with busy movers like machines and forklifts that roared and hurt people's eardrums shuttling between them. The noisy sounds intertwined together, like a chaotic and disordered symphony, making people more and more upset. In this intricate and maze-like venue, Li Yi and his team relied on their firm belief and keen insight like a hound, and finally found Jason's warehouse after a lot of twists and turns.
The door of the warehouse was closed, and the rusty iron lock hung on the door, like a one-eyed giant beast guarding a mysterious treasure, and seemed to declare its inviolability to the world. The rust on the iron lock was like dried blood, exuding an old and decayed smell. Li Yi found tools and approached the door carefully, taking every step lightly, for fear of disturbing the "giant beast" that had been sleeping for many years. When the tool touched the iron lock, he felt as if he had touched a long-forgotten history, and a chill ran straight from his fingertips to his heart. With a muffled "creak", the door slowly opened, as if the stone door of an ancient tomb that had been sleeping for thousands of years was quietly pushed open, and an old and oppressive breath came to his face, as if it was carrying the decay and sadness of the years, and as if it was wrapped in the resentment of countless wronged souls. The light in the warehouse was dim, as if it was covered by a layer of thick ink. Only a few glimmers of light coming in from the door reflected the piles of debris, which were shadowy, as if hiding countless unknown secrets, making it difficult to see clearly.
Everyone looked closely and saw an abandoned jeep parked quietly in the corner. The body of the car was covered with dust and mottled rust, as if it was covered with a layer of ancient and mysterious armor. The tires had long been deflated, like a tired, panting beast, and as if it carried too many heavy pasts. Li Yi approached slowly, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if dense drum beats were beating in his chest, and his hand unconsciously reached for the trunk of the jeep. In an instant, a chill came over them, and everyone was shocked by the scene in front of them and didn't know what to do - in the trunk, there were two small dead babies lying, their bodies tightly hugged each other, as if they were seeking comfort from each other at the last moment of their lives. The two babies' faces were blue and purple, as if they had been cursed by the devil, their eyes were closed, and their small bodies had long lost their vitality. They looked like angels whose futures were cruelly robbed by the devil, which made people feel heartbroken and filled with grief and anger. The small palms seemed to be still grasping something powerlessly. Was it the desire to survive, or the accusation against this cold world? They seemed to be shrouded in a layer of faint yin energy, which made people's backs cold.
Faced with such a cruel scene, Li Yi's eyes were instantly moist, and his heart was full of compassion and anger. Dealing with mysterious and supernatural things for many years, he knows that if the wronged souls in this world cannot rest in peace, their resentment will turn into a more terrifying force and bring disaster to the world. He suppressed his inner grief and quickly took out a few items from his backpack and decided to help the two poor babies to transcend.
Li Yi cleared a clean area in the warehouse and spread a plain white cloth, as if building a bridge to the spirit world. He gently placed the two babies on it, and his movements were so gentle that it seemed as if he was protecting the most fragile treasures in the world. Then, he lit three incense sticks, and the smoke rose up, like a messenger to another world, and like the hair of a ghost, swaying in this dim space. He chanted in his mouth, chanting the ancient and mysterious scriptures for transcendence, his voice was low and sad, as if it was a lament from the underworld, echoing in every corner of the warehouse, as if he was talking to another world, praying for the gods to bless these two innocent souls. His hands kept changing hand seals, like a bridge to communicate with the spirit world, leading the two young souls to their resting place. As the salvation ceremony progressed, the originally oppressive and cold atmosphere in the warehouse seemed to gradually ease, as if the souls of the two babies were comforted and no longer hesitant and afraid, and as if a pair of gentle hands gently soothed the resentment here.
When the ceremony was over, Li Yi slowly stood up, his eyes full of determination. He knew that every moment of delay would bring the murderer one step closer to the next murder, and he had to race against time, follow the intricate clues in front of him, and find the demon hidden in the depths of darkness, so that this inhumane killing would end completely.
With a heavy heart, everyone properly placed the remains of the baby, and then continued to search carefully in the warehouse. Under the driver's seat of the jeep, they found a crumpled diary, the paper was yellow and fragile, as if it had been eroded by the years and riddled with holes, as if it would break and turn into dust with a slight touch. Li Yi carefully opened the diary. The handwriting inside was sloppy and messy, like weeds blown by the wind, but it recorded Jason's mental journey during that time in detail. From the diary, it can be seen that Jason seemed to have noticed some strange things around him, especially in the activities of the Astronomy Enthusiasts Association, the behavior of several people became more and more secretive, which made him suspicious. He mentioned in his diary that after a party, he followed one of them and found that the man walked into an abandoned factory, but when he wanted to find out the next day, he couldn't find the location of the factory. After that, he felt that he was shrouded in an inexplicable fear, as if he was caught in a huge conspiracy.
Between the lines, there is his anxiety and confusion, as well as the fear of unknown dangers. He even mentioned that sometimes when he worked in a bank, he would suddenly feel a pair of eyes staring at him from behind, and that creepy feeling kept him awake at night. One night, when he was going home from get off work, he passed by a dark alley and felt that a shadow was following him. But he could not see anything when he turned back. When he quickened his pace and ran to the door of his house, he found that his back was already soaked with cold sweat. He also described a time when he was at a gathering of the Astronomy Enthusiasts Association, the lights suddenly went out. In that brief darkness, he heard some strange sounds, like a low roar, and like a strange spell. When the lights came on again, he found that the eyes of several people became particularly gloomy, which made him shudder. This clue was like a torch in the dark night, and once again pointed out the direction for the investigation of the case. Li Yi and the FBI agents quickly sorted out their thoughts. Based on the few words in the diary and the information they had investigated before, they locked on several suspicious locations and prepared to investigate them one by one. They knew that the battle with the murderer had entered a white-hot stage, and they were not only responsible for seeking justice for the victims, but also for protecting more innocent lives from harm. Every clue is like a life-saving straw, they must hold on to it tightly and not lose it, because behind it are countless broken families and shattered hopes. They are the last line of defense for justice. Only by moving forward courageously can they let light penetrate darkness and let the truth come to light.